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Written by Sameerah
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Friday, 18 March 2005 18:13 |
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I woke up before my alarm at 8am. Spring from the bed I shut off the clock before it has a chance to go off. Making my way to the shower this is the first time in ages that Iâ??ve had to be up early and was happy about it. Getting dressed I agonize over what to wear and fret over my lip-gloss. Iâ??ve been waiting for this day for over a week now. Today I have a phone interview with Martin Atkins. Hey! I see that look on your face, and I know youâ??re wondering why Iâ??m in such a tizzy over a phoner. Did I mention I was going to be speaking to Martin Atkins? The drummer for Ministry and killing Joke, not to mention that he is the founder of the musical revolution Pigface, now you understand why Iâ??m so excited! With fingers shaking as I dial preparing for a conversation with one of the most innovative musicians of recent history.
I woke up before my alarm at 8am. Spring from the bed I shut off the clock before it has a chance to go off. Making my way to the shower this is the first time in ages that Iâ??ve had to be up early and was happy about it. Getting dressed I agonize over what to wear and fret over my lip-gloss. Iâ??ve been waiting for this day for over a week now. Today I have a phone interview with Martin Atkins. Hey! I see that look on your face, and I know youâ??re wondering why Iâ??m in such a tizzy over a phoner. Did I mention I was going to be speaking to Martin Atkins? The drummer for Ministry and killing Joke, not to mention that he is the founder of the musical revolution Pigface, now you understand why Iâ??m so excited! With fingers shaking as I dial preparing for a conversation with one of the most innovative musicians of recent history.
For those who may not know Martin started Pigface in 1989 after finishing up a run with Ministry. â??We spent that tour being almost a Ministry cover band, a damn good Ministry cover band, but about halfway through the tour I started wondering aloud, why donâ??t we do something?â? Martin told me â??We started messing around during sound checks and it grew into this thing.â? It was during this four to five day window that the guys were all going to be in town they booked a block of studio time and the rest as they say is history. With a line up that included Martin, Trent Reznor and Steve Almeany just to name a few you would think it would have been easy to find places to play, but with a line up as loosely defined as Pigface was at the time club owners and promoters were reluctant to book the band looking for guarantees as to who was going to show up on any given night. However after consistently pulling in an audience night after night thorough the years Pigface has been able to just get on stage and do what they do without fear.
Martin has had a very interesting career spanning from Public Image Limited, Killing Joke, and Ministry along with the latest incarnation of the ever changing Pigface. He has also founded two recording labels, Invisible and Underground Records, both headquartered in Chicago. With the English music scene seeming so much more open to new ideas than what we have state side I was curious as to why he would found both of his labels here instead of back home. â??Wellâ?, Martin said, â??although there is much more acceptance of experimental music in England there is something to be said for the entrepreneur sprit here. I had moved back home a few years ago and it was a pain in the ass just to get someone to help rewire the studio!â? that being said I felt better knowing that both side of the musical coin have their own problems and where our musical establishment may want to ban true creativity in favor of money making formulas our underground communities are always there to help one another out.
Flash forward now to the present and the Free for All Tour, this years tour is going to be headlined by Pigface Nocturne and Voodoo and is another way for the bands to give back to the kids that support them. Martin had the idea for the tour a few years back When Skinny Puppy played Chicago and no one who wanted to go could really handle the exorbitant ticket pries for the event. So he called up Clear Channel and asked them for some tickets to the show to give away, at first the promoters scoffed at the idea saying that the show was doing fine and it should be a packed house. Martin knew what a small turn out it was beginning to look like and eventually got the tickets, giving some to his students, office works and raffling some away. Not only did doing this make a much better showing at the Skinny Puppy show but it gave Martin the idea for the Free for All Tour. A show that gives back to the people who support the music those they put out there, we all know how expensive going to a show can be its insane sometimes. Causing a lot of fans to just stay home because they canâ??t afford tax for one reason or another. So to see a group of bands who actively want to give back to their fan base is truly awesome to see. This years tour is going to feature a coupon for a discount on either t-shirts or cads â?? As much as I want people to use their coupons to pick up something from Pigface or any of the other bands weâ??re touring with this year I really want to encourage them to use it to try something newâ? Martin said. â??You know we put these bands out for a reason, you know we like them and respect their work, theres a lot of great stuff out there that people should try, but their scared. Look at it like this itâ??s just a cd itâ??s not like being trapped in Mexico with no passport!â?
So when Pigface and company make it into your town, make sure you pick up a ticket and try some new music whatâ??s the worse that could happen?
For More info on Pigface or the Free for All Tour check www.Undergroundinc.com |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 19 June 2005 03:35 )
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